Wandawega Blog Archive

Slide for the scary Kitchen & Bathroom Befores: The current kitchen used to be the old attached garage. The bathroom looked like a set from Texas Chainsaw Massacres. After this rehab, we will forever be less intimidated about taking on other projects again.We wanted this cottage because it sits on land adjacent to camp. When we first got it, we had to spend months just gutting it. (It was a nightmare combo of the show Hoarders and a show we haven’t seen yet called Shacks-That-Are-Too-Far-Gone-and-should-have-been-torn-down. It took us nearly 3 years to save what we could, imagining the rest, and forcing it into fruition.Every time I walk in here, its a needed reminder that I try to apply to everything: No matter how bad a current situation is, keep looking past it to the future of what you want it to be. – The dirty deets:David and I found the stove on Craigslist and loaded it on our trailer on dollies with help from the plumber who had it in his garage. Hed taken it out of some fancy houses catering kitchen, where it had barely been used since 1972. We thought it was going to topple and kill us while loading it. The painting was a $60 score from a junk shop-meets-antique shop found on a trip home to my home town Beardstown. The copper pots were collected over the three years I dreamed of building this kitchen – found at barn sales, flea market & yard sales. .More shots at #wandawegahillhouse #wandawegarehabs Lights & cabinet pulls:@rejuvenation / Bath & Kitchen fixtures: @Kohler

May 13, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Newest addition to the camp store : The Wandawega Pocketknife. .Weve been collecting these for years. They were popular from the 40s to the early 70s. Small businesses from gas stations, mechanics to little lodges would make souvenir quality pocket knives as giveaways to customers. (My dad always had one in his pocket and they where everywhere at his own small auto repair shop)..Ours are simple single stainless blades, with brass rivets on old school ink-stamped body with:SIDE 1: Wandawega Lake Resortserving vacationers since 1925 .SIDE 2: American Plan for Tourists Ph: 810 Elkhorn, Wisconsin AAA + motor tourist seal.Theyre part of our Knives For Pockets station in the camp store that we are building out now and will share soon..Our main display board used to be a valet keyboard in a former life. Last shot: our inspiration. The old school giveaways..More at #wandawegacustoms

May 12, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Working Covid Confinement style.The kitchen island table that our friends Mario & Cathy made for us has now become the makeshift work desk. What used to be our guest couch is now our new office seating. To be overly cautious, were still voluntarily closed (So the kitchen cupboard that was built to serve coffee for a small army, is now servicing only one for now)So if youre Looking for a Stay-At-Home working annex, or just a remote place to get away- Were opening the Hillhouse up again in June #WandawegaHillhouse thank you: @cargo_north Table: @lalunecollection Couch: @rejuvenation @fiestatablewarecompany #homerlaughlinchina

May 11, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

For the moms.Someday when the world is back, we’re gonna’ host a mothers day brunch for you.Until then, sending you all a virtual seat at the table. On this day, Its our tradition to plant all of our camp flowers boxes, planters and pots on this weekend just in time for our opening weekend. This year were still planting, setting the tents, tipis, setting the pews, hauling out the camp fleet preparing camp as we always do. ’cause it’s our way of pushing on, doing what we love, and so well be ready when you are.So for all the moms, especially the moms out there that are struggling to juggle homeschooling, careers, day jobs while burning the midnight oil while chasing their small businesses dreams WE SALUTE YOU!And are sending you all the luck, light (and virtual flowers) today. .Bless you for the inspiration you share because while your pictures may make it look easy – we know that its anything but.LOVE, Camp..Due credit for all the lovely tables at camp: @viorlandi @cherrybevents @laurelynsavannah @courtneyjoy_floral @luk.e @meganyanz

May 10, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Found in the trunks in the sealed up shed…Mark at @deconstructioninc let us in for a private buying visit today.He and his team are salvagers – going into old homes and buildings to rescue everything from the architectural bones of the structures to what was left inside – saving it from the landfill.Their excursions resulting in a treasure trove of all things historic for sale in their warehouse in Madison, Wisconsin..We came to pick up two century old doors for our new project. Although we wanted to buy everything, Our favorite part of the visit was seeing the spoils of a score Mark got from a phone call to empty out a tin shed. The building had been sealed up for so long that a big tree had grown in front – blocking the door.Once inside they uncovered floor to ceiling antique trunks, meticulously packed – preserving three generations of everything one family had packed away nearly a century ago. The story of this family unfolding with every scrap of paper theyd acquired from signed dinner napkins of seating arrangements at parties, hand made baby clothes to boxes of albums and so much more. .One of those albums was behind the front desk. And the photos shown here are of some of the men of that family. (He gave us a couple of the shots – we are going to give them a place of prominence in the new space we are building out).The last shots / clip is of when they are opening one of the trunks. (We almost bought those beaver pelt gloves but theyre made for Wisconsin rugged outdoorsman at the turn of the century, not driving to the office)..Thank you Mark, for sharing the stories and the history behind all of your finds. And also for the private access – we will be back often when we can all come back out in the world again..Anybody who wants to go on a buying trip – contact @deconstructioninc to make a special appointment for a socially distanced visit.

May 9, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Temporary remedy for cabin fever :Sun, dogs (and kids to chase the dogs- that chase the frisbees)Future camp-store-offering:OUR CAMP FLYING DISKS ARE GOOD FOR 2 THINGS: now & when we open back up again:1: Quarantine days when we can all take field trips to the park.2: Standard issue- as part of our new camper-check-in-registration packetsWho remembers these from 70’s & 80’s summers? We can’t get enough of the graphics. (and are honestly fighting the urge to hoard. them. all.) ..In case you didnt know (we didnt)Late 19th-century students at Yale played catch with pie plates made by the nearby Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They yelled Frisbie! to warn passersby away from the spinning discs. – NATIONAL SCHOOL OF PLAYThank you, George, Charlie, Frankie & Bailee- you have more energy than we ever remember having..More at #wandawegacustoms

May 8, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Our secret stash in the attic is coming out. and we have few things LOOKING FOR A GOOD HOME!Weve been having so much fun lately connecting with people online, by giving stuff away – we figured why stop now. (Yesterday we filled 70 bottles to ship out to friends here.) .SO. We have this spot that nobody sees up in the rafters of the old main lodge.Its about 15 x 40ft – its where we hoard all the things we find at barn sales, roadside stands & old souvenir shops and hardware stores before they close or get demod. Its our 15+ year collection of all the things we love – and always hope to have a place to bring them back out into the light.Since the lock down, weve been neck-deep working on a new project:to hang a shingle on a new little on-site camp store. .The part were most looking forward to is bringing down all the things we love from the attic, and letting them go one by one. I always thought that it was finding and acquiring stuff was the fun part – but its turning out that its more fun to see them go to a good home.First up in our offerings in our future shop is this Keychain Bar where folks can build their own, pulling from our vintage collection board as well as the new stock weve had custom made for us: . >brass stamped CW valve tags, . >rabbits feet with our CW hotel key fobs, . >the tiniest of CW slingshots, . >two-blade CW cedar pocketknives . >and tiny CW flasks that work great but barely hold enough whiskey to get a mouse drunk. .Trying to celebrate the little things everyday – so were GIVING AWAY handful of kitted out keychains that will have all of our new tools, along with a vintage piece (like an old BSA pocketknife or similar)Shout out below who you want to send one of these to – were picking 3 tonight and boxing them up with more tiny swaggy things. ..Cause making fun things while in quarantine is only fun if you have somebody to give them to..More at #wandawegacustoms

May 7, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

WHICH SHOULD BE OUR CAMP PUZZLE? Were making our first 50-count run (for guest rooms & stocking the new camp store).But we cant decide which to have made. (They will be the 250 piece type, that we are told takes 3 hours to assemble)..We dont actually know jack about puzzles other than we love the old school designs most. .We found out that @venuspuzzle still makes the cardboard boxes with the vintage style paper-wrapped lids, so now were going all OCD on researching and buying up puzzles from 1940s-60s. .We have a growing pile (as Frankie is shown here, inspecting)Thank you @ahutchgram & Herb for being the test assemblers for our first prototypes & timed assembly dry run. WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE BEST??(The one Ash is assembling here is the canned ham). Featuring the photography of @BobCoscarelli (all except the dock one).More at #wandawegacustoms

May 6, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

We love you @accidentallywesanderson .(and not just because you posting our boat shed yesterday gifted us 1017 new Instagram friend followers)….but because you always share pictures of places that we love so much that they transport us. And right now – we could really use a mental trip to someplace else.So if you dont know this feed, and also are in need of a little mental getaway – check it out.. . . (Pics here are from some of the places they have shared that you can visually visitWhile still in quarantine)

May 5, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt